Cricket Square celebrates all week long

As Cricket Square celebrates 27 years since breaking ground in George Town, Caymanian Times Publisher Ralph Lewis speaks with Nikki Callender, Marketing and PR Manager with Orchid Development, and Tim Heath, Manager of Wellness, about the farm-to-table ethos that has been at the backbone of Cricket Square and the great week of special events they have planned.

King and Lisa Flowers and the Flowers family built their first office building at Cricket Square, called the Pavilion, 27 years ago on the site of Cayman’s original cricket ground, beginning a business park within George Town that would grow and evolve based on demand, and that set new standards for commercial real estate.

In 1997 The Brasserie restaurant opened, one of the first components of Cricket Square at the heart of the development. Century Yard and Willow House followed, and the food and beverage outlets in Cricket Square grew to include The Market (serving coffee tea, snacks, breakfast and lunches), The Caboose (a smokehouse BBQ restaurant) and The Wicket outdoor bar (open on Fridays for happy hour) and Juiced open during the day which serves seasonal nutritious juices and smoothies using local ingredients.

Home grown

“The Brasserie is the heart of Cricket Square – it’s at the heart of the farm-to-table ethos that populates all of the outlets here,” Nikki advised. “The vision was to provide really great locally grown food for George Town residents and the growing business community in Cricket Square.”

The Brasserie have an entirely seasonal menu, which changes daily, all driven by what is grown at the Brasserie and at their Coco Bluff farm and plantation. The Brasserie’s restaurant garden is dedicated to growing organic, non-GMO fruit, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, which are found growing throughout, not just in the garden.

“We grow most of our own fruit and vegetables on site, we have a sustainably caught fish supply and the catch on our menus is freshly caught daily on our two fishing boats, Catch I and II and for almost everything else we work with local farmers,” she advised.

Fruit trees and fruit bushes that are fruit bearing populate the location, including Suriname cherries from which they make a jam, and a sangria.

Nikki said the variety of produce at Cricket Square’s food outlets was exceptional.

“Because all of our produce is seasonal and locally grown you are often going to see things here that you don’t see in other places, such as guava, starfruit, ackee and Suriname cherries,” she confirmed.

The restaurant’s Coco Bluff Plantation in Savannah has 205 coconut palms and 55 beehives, producing honey, beeswax candles and beauty and wellness products.

Cricket Square is also home to the Brasserie Bakery and ‘Chateau Chooks’, where more than one hundred Brasserie chickens produce eggs and recycle the restaurant’s food waste, while their eggshells and manure are used to compost the plants, fruit and vegetables.

Sustainability

Nikki said that the farm-to-table concept was important because increasingly people were concerned about where their food was coming from and there was a real focus particularly after the pandemic as to how people grow their own food.

“I think people are very concerned about carbon emissions and what it takes to bring produce to the table and, on top of that, your most fresh and most flavoursome produce is when it’s just been picked and served a number of hours later onto your plate,” she confirmed. “It’s not a new concept; it’s embedded in our culture and pretty traditional and we’re seeing more of a focus on this.”

The Brasserie chefs – led by consultant Executive Chef Dean Max and Chef de Cuisine Artemio Lopez – see themselves as pioneers in this respect.

Healthy ethos

To help their tenants stay fit and healthy, Cricket Square has a wellness programme led by Cricket Square’s Club, a state-of-the-art gym, as well as featuring lunch-and-learn sessions around nutrition, and stress management.

Tim said at The Club they currently have a team of 12 instructors and personal trainers and offer 23 classes every week, including spinning, bootcamp, jump rope, yoga, meditation class, Bollywood and Latin dancing.

“There’s something for everyone to do and its not just the people who like to lift weights,” he confirmed.

They also offer healthy meal planning, online and free delivery within Cricket Square and provide healthy local menus in all of their outlets.

“At the core of wellness is education; it’s empowering people to become self-sufficient and that’s another thing we do a lot of through the club through lunch and learn programmes, with local hospitals, through biometric screenings, making sure people know their numbers so they are empowered to make some sort of healthy change. We are a gym but we are so much more than that; we are a holistic wellness centre,” he advised.

Anniversary specials

ALL WEEK SPECIALS

Juiced

Experience the Mango Tango Smoothie: a tropical blend of local mangoes, zesty orange, turmeric, and coconut jelly.  Receive a limited-edition reusable anniversary cup with each purchase. 7am-3pm.

The Brasserie: Prix Fixe Dinner Menu

Featuring Triggerfish Schnitzel fresh from Brasserie Catch.

$45 per person (plus grats).

DAILY SPECIALS

Monday 12 June

The Market: Barrington Drip Coffee Special

25% off Barrington drip coffee. 7am-4pm.

Tuesday 13 June

Pop Up Farmer’s Market

Shop the pop-up Farmer’s Market outside The Brasserie. Outside The Brasserie, 11:30am-1:30pm.

Wednesday 14 June

The Market Breakfast Special: smoked brisket and eggs benedict

Available 7am-4pm.

Thursday 15 June

The Caboose Lunch Special: with Executive Chef Dean Max

Available 10:30-3pm.

SWIRL: The Best of California

Celebrate 25 years of the Brasserie at June SWIRL, when Master Sommelier Simone Ragusa will host an impressive Californian tasting, featuring five exceptional wines 5:30-7pm. Tickets are $65 (plus grats) per person.

Friday 16 June

25th Anniversary CAB Dinner

Executive Chef, Dean Max and Chef de Cuisine Artemio Lopez will celebrate 25 years of The Brasserie with four courses featuring Certified Angus Beef, catch fresh from the restaurant’s fishing boats and seasonal produce. With wine pairings from Master Sommelier, Simone Ragusa. 6-10pm. Tickets are $175 (plus grats) per person.

Visit brasseriecayman.com or email reservations@brasseriecayman.com